www.CostaRicaTicas.com

I don't think that Tamarindo is a dump. The beach in Tamarindo is superior to the beach of Jaco. The Tamarindo area is clean and not horribly crowded.

Tamarindo's biggest asset is its dry weather where you are nearly guaranteed sunny skies most of the year outside of September or October. It's nice to have sunny skies while at a beach. In San Jose, I could care less if it rains most of the day.

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I will travel the world over to find a better latina! Gringas have flat asses..

I find the one-hour highway a highly dubious proposition, wishful thinking by real estate developers.

It is not so easy to put that sort of highway over a mountain pass. This would be a very expensive public works project. The government does not have enough money to pave the flat straight road from Manuel Antonio to Dominical for heaven sakes!!!!! The power grid is falling apart and the government can not find the resources to maintain it. Where are they going to find the resources to take on the Jaco highway??? Why would it be a priority? To support a glut of development in Jaco that is supported only by real estate speculators? I hardly think so! Hell, investors should be worried about the added strain all these projects will put on a grossly inadaquate power system. Did you ever think of that?

As far as the Boston Investor, does he not realize that Ticos will tell you anything you want to hear? Does he really think that because it was a government official that it is written in stone? HA! HA! Joke is on him. Yes I am sure it will get built, someday. Does 2110 count as a accurate answer? HA! HA!

Dream on Jaco investors. Wishful thinking gets you no where in Costa Rica. The marina in Manuel Antonio has been on the drawing boards for 8 years. It is all pie in the sky.

I agree that the condo market here is a shaky investment. However, I think the highway will be a reality this time. The framework and bridges are already there and they have contracted to a private company. And believe me, I have always been skeptical. They have been saying it will be ready in 2 years ever since I got to Jaco 8 years ago. And the amount of time that it will take off the trip from San Jose to Jaco is exagerrated.

While it is very hard to disagree with any of that, because it is basically correct, I think the highway to Jaco will eventually be built. The biggest hurdles you point out





are not insurmountable under the plan now proposed by the Government. They have awarded a contract for the remaining work to be done as a private project. The consortium awarded the contract to build the remaining portion of the road will have the right to collect tolls over an extended period of time to recoup their costs and make a profit.

Basically this approach is the same as the one taken by state governments years ago to build turnpikes. They established a turnpike commission which sold bonds to fund the construction. The authority then collected tolls to repay the bond holders.

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Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine

Yes, I think they key here is that the people who will finish this long-overdue project will be those that profit by it's operation. Finally we have somebody who has a motivation to actually build the thing rather than just steal appropriated money.

By the way, has anybody done the stretch between Jaco and Quepos lately? Or the stretch between Quepos and Dominical? I'm wondering what the current status is of these roads.

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"The only normal people are those you don't know very well." Joe Ancis

Dump might not be an accurate description.

It is more like a train wreck. It is a total mess.

There are many nice beaches on the Guanacaste coast. Tamarindos is relatively dirty and polluted compared to others I have been to.

At the very best, Tamarindo is going through an ugly duckly phase. Right now, it is a total mess. If the money continues to flow in, I am sure it will turn out alright, in time.

As resorts destinations go, they don't get much uglier than Tamarindo. If there is an uglier (newer) resort destination anywhere, please tell me where it is.

Brother, how long have they been talking about paving the road from Manuel Antonio to Dominical? 15 Years! The money has been allocated 4 seperate times! What happened to the money? Corruption!

The money end up in corrupt officials pockets

Just because the money is allocated and a contractor is hired, that means nothing!

I will say this as well. You aren't cutting that trip from 2 hours to 1 hour just by making that a 4 lane road. NO WAY! Not if you are talking ab out using exsisting bridges. If they only expand the exsisting road, at best you will cut 20 minutes off the trip.

They are upgrading one of the bridges from Jaco to Quepos.

Quepos to Domincal is the same as always. It is graveled pot hole filled road that would be realitively cheap to pave and make into a very nice highway if the money was not going into corrupt officials pockets.

Brother, you and I both know that will never happen.

If it did, all of the tolls would get skimmed and the bonds would never be paid. Ticos know that. You would have to be a complete idiot to invest in Costa Rica public works bonds that relied on tolls to get repaid.

I think you misread my post. I only cited the creation of an Authority and the selling of bonds, which occurred in the United States prior to the establishment of the Interstate highway act, as an example of the similar model that the CR Government is promoting.

The CR model does not involve the creation of an Authority or the selling of bonds. It is a complete privatization of a road where the tolls collected would be used by the company who built the road to pay off the cost and generate a profit. This very model is being promoted in Texas to build a new road that would be take a huge swath of land and create a transportation corridor creating separate car, truck and train lanes. It would be privately financed and built with the costs and profits being recouped by tolls.

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Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine

Regardless, that will NEVER happen in Costa Rica.

Such a toll road would be of benifit to Gringos only. The ticos aren't in that big of a hurry and they have no need to pay a toll to save 30 minutes of drive time to use that road.

Does anyone know where the airport tax that is collected before we leave Costa Rica ends up? Answer: No! It evaporates into thin air.

Does anyone know where the the taxes and fees paid when you purchase a ticket to CR ends up? It does not evaporate it is doled out to various agencies for a variety of programs of which you may or may not be happy to be funding.

The same thing happens with the departure tax that is collected at the airport. Have you made any effort to find out where it goes or are you just going to assume it evaporates? If you traveled to San Jose a few years ago and were familiar with the old airport terminal building and infrastructure you can see where some of it goes.

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Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine

Well, since this is called the "Jaco Building Boom," I'll stick with that. Just a few short years ago it was a sleepy beach town. Last weekend I drive from SJO to Jaco and the road is "littered" with advertisements to invest in land, condos and God knows what else. (Didn't notice any of this just 8 short months ago on my last trip.) Finally get to Jaco and see that the new mall has been built. Didn't go there but it looked nice. Then, when I woke up in the morning to take my usual stroll down the strip, I see two boom cranes. One on each end of the strip. Condos and hotels being built with plans for MANY MORE in the near future. Sad sight for me. Aside from landing in Alajuela, Jaco was the first international town I had ever been in. It is always kind of a special place.

Jaco reminds me of Laughlin, Nevada. I was in Laughlin in the early 80's. Nothing but a speck in the middle of the desert with a few casinos. Now it is an international destination with 5 star hotels, casinos and entertainment. Nothing will stop the persuit of the almight dollar, unfortunately. Let's just hope that what moves in to Jaco will make a positive impact on the place and not a negative one. One thing is for sure, the natural beauty is being sucked away by all of the construction. And, Jesus Cristo....inflation hasn't missed Jaco.

Just as a side note, the talent level at the BB on Friday night was ridiculous. Not much of anything under a 7. Supermodel city.

TW, I stopped at your shop 2 times. Both times it was closed. Hoping to get to meet ya.

dapanz1

My research on the subject is limited to discussions with Costa Ricans that are involved in the Tourism Industry. Those that I have talked to have said that it is somewhat of a mystery as to what happens to the money. I will admit that I do not have direct information.

You are right, the facilities in San Jose are quite nice. However, they should be, the taxes are steep and there are 4 million visitors a year going through their terminals. If my math is correct that is over a 100 Million dollars a year in departure taxes. At that rate they should be able to capitalize the building of that terminal in a couple of years.

The folks out in Guanacaste are wondering when they are going to get their long promised airport upgrades. The money should be there.

KcCostarica,

Your numbers are a bit off according to the CR Tourism Ministry,

By the end of the year 2006, Costa Rica received 1,645,470 tourists and 315,187 excursionists with an estimated increase of 4.65% in income produced by tourism. In other words, 1,663.6 million dollars.

The population of CR is 4.075 million

ID, you never cease to amaze me, on that little bit about Texas Tollroads. Yes we in the Great Republic, have sold our land and existing roads to the Euro's who are more than happy to build Toll Roads with the foresight to see 50 years income in a state that continues to grow. Thank you Guv Perry.

Have yet to figure out why American companies haven't jumped on this new revenue growth vehicle Must be a favor being paid in the "Dollar Diplomacy" game.

As a followup to a question I asked in another thread regarding Wellington Asset Management(Pacifica Heights) the CEO failed to follow through on a 3 way call last Monday night with a friend and myself. Avoid these scoundrels.